World conflict and problems other than Israel-Palestine.

When my friends or intellectuals start up a debate on Israel...I bring up North Korea. When someone apologises for Palestinian terrorism I talk about child soldiers in Africa. When I hear someone defend everything Israel does...I get into ruthless drug cartels in Latin America and their sex-slaves, bullying and assassinations or I bring up death penalties for apostasy and blasphemy in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. When people criticise American aid to Israel I change the topic to Female Genital Mutilation.

It's not that I don't care about the deaths in Palestine and Israel. I sympathise. In the past I spent hours and hours on the topic both in activism and intellectual engagement But I believe that the news space and intellectual air time that this story gets is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of proportion. These other conflicts and problems worry me more. They effect a broader group of people. Their problems are less irreducibly complex. The narratives change. I learn a lot when I read about these problems. I can imagine that at least one of the conflicts I mention will improve dramatically in the next ten years. Discussion about North Korea, Child Soldiery etc. involve less recycled material and less scripted and repeated conversation.

Does anyone else feel that the Israel-Palestine conflict eats up a disproportionate amount of intellectual air time? What other world conflicts or problems greatly concern you? What world conflicts or problems can you envision improving in the next ten years?